This is an extension to the Washington Street Sketch article, further examining the age of the Zodiac Killer in 1969. Many people have argued that the Zodiac Killer, through four attacks, wasn't one individual because of the varying age estimations, differing from 26-30 by Michael Mageau, 20-30 by Bryan Hartnell (voice concept) and 25-30 by the three teenagers at Presidio Heights, up to 35-45 by Officer Donald Fouke and about 40 by the Julius Khan playground eyewitnesses. However, this really isn't the case when we consider that Michael Mageau's testimony cannot be relied upon, bearing in mind he was blinded by the light from the assailant's vehicle and flashlight, while being shot in the head. His recollection of the events are unclear, with probably less than a second to make a visual on the suspect's face. In the following attack at Lake Berryessa, Bryan Hartnell never saw the suspect's face at all, so we only have a recollection of "voice concept", which in essence means very little. The only attack where the Zodiac Killer's face was seen for any reasonable length of time was on October 11th 1969. At Presidio Heights there were three sets of eyewitnesses who saw the Zodiac Killer from the taxicab to the park - and all gave the same age. The three teenagers described a man in his early forties, Officer Donald Fouke described the man as 35-45 (therefore a median age of 40) and the Julius Khan playground eyewitnesses described the man running into the park as about 40. Three sets of eyewitnesses pinpointing the Zodiac Killer as 40 years of age or slightly above, within a five minute window.

October 18th 1969

We can of course throw away or disregard the last sighting of a man running into the park and matching the other two descriptions, if our theory revolves around the Zodiac Killer never entering the park or getting into a vehicle along Jackson Street, but this again relies on cherry-picking the evidence to suit our theory, rather than let the evidence or eyewitness testimony become the driver.

The three teenagers never described the suspect as 25-30 years - only the October 13th 1969 police sketch did. Their account was comprehensively detailed in the police report countersigned by Officer Armond Pelissetti on October 12th 1969. Their viewing of the suspect "last seen walking north on Cherry Street, from Washington Street" was the only eyewitness testimony in the police report, and therefore the suspect description on page 2 could only have been derived from them. It started the man was in his early forties. It couldn't have been from the other two sets of eyewitnesses because the police report clearly states that the suspect was "last seen walking north on Cherry Street, from Washington Street". The other eyewitnesses viewed the suspect after Cherry Street.

The three teenagers sat down with a sketch artist who interpreted their description of the man - and it's extremely likely that because the sketch was interpreted and drawn looking younger, the police attributed the age range of 25-30 years to it - likely believing this was the correct course of action based on the appearance of the sketch. In other words, the contradiction of the three teenagers early forties description in the police report to the appearance of the sketch, likely played a part in the revision of the age range placed on the wanted poster. However, it is apparent that the three teenagers were not happy with the first sketch, forcing the police to create an amended sketch more in line with their original early forties description. The police then released the amended sketch on October 18th 1969 with a compromise age range of 35-45 years, which allowed for any slight error either way.

Officer Donald Fouke

If we factor in Officer Donald Fouke's description of a man "older and heavier" with a "lumbering gait", possibly "graying in the rear" with a "widows peak", we could be looking at a much more mature Zodiac Killer. A killer who described David Faraday (17), Betty Lou Jensen (16), Michael Mageau (19) and Darlene Ferrin (22) as boy, girl and kids in his initial correspondence. Our suspect is unlikely to be a young man aged between 25-30 years, addressing a 19 and 22-year-old as a boy, girl or kid. The way the Zodiac Killer addressed the couple at Blue Rock Springs Park suggests more of a generational divide.

Here is an excerpt by Donn Devine: "But just how long is a generation? Don’t we all know as a matter of common knowledge that it generally averages about 25 years from the birth of a parent to the birth of a child, even though it varies case by case? And wasn’t it closer to 20 years in earlier times when humans mated younger and life expectancies were shorter? Where did those numbers come from? Several recent studies by a sociologist-demographer and groups of population geneticists and biological anthropologists show that male-line generations, from father to son, are always longer on average than female-line generations, from mother to daughter. They show, too, that both are longer than the 25-year interval that conventional wisdom has assigned to a generation. The male generation is at least a third longer, the female generation is longer by perhaps half that amount".

Most people affix around 20-25 years to a generation, so if we took the average of the four victim's ages from the first two attacks, we would arrive at 19 years. Add the generational divide of 20-25 years and we have a suspect between 39-44 years of age - a man in his early forties or about 40. We know the attack at Presidio Heights was a Zodiac crime because of the blooded piece of taxicab driver Paul Stine's shirt being mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle, therefore these three sets of eyewitnesses, in a time window of just five minutes, all describing a man about 40 years of age should carry great value. But does this argument have any sway with the long-held convictions of people regarding suspects in the Zodiac case, or will no amount of eyewitness testimony cloud the lens through which they view the Zodiac case?

In 1969, the ages of the most widely touted suspects were: Theodore Kaczynski (27), Bruce Davis (27), Gareth Penn (28), Ross Sullivan (28), Richard Gaikowski (33), Arthur Leigh Allen (35), Richard Marshall (41), Lawrence Kane (45) and Kjell Qvale (50). Based on the eyewitness testimony at Presidio Heights, only two candidates fit the age description of the Zodiac Killer and these are poor suspects at best. The farther we travel to either end of the suspect age-scale spectrum, the weaker the argument becomes for these men to be the infamous Zodiac Killer. People often defy their years, but the argument still stands.We have multiple eyewitnesses at Presidio Heights, all of whom were able to give fairly detailed descriptions of a killer emerging from the taxicab, heading up Cherry Street, turning into Jackson Street, before seeking refuge in the Presidio Park just after 10:00 pm. The question is, what faith do you have in three corroborating sets of eyewitnesses?

Officer Foukes was a veteran police officer by the time he encountered Zodiac.

I would think he would be trained or through years of policing to know people ages by looks pretty good. Even ones that might look older than they actually are, hence the age Range of 35 to 45 that was established on the revision wanted poster.

In Zodiac letters, Zodiac seemed like an older man looking from the outside in on modern culture of the late 1960's referencing "Blue Meannies", "Buttons".

Bryan Hartnell had a lengthy conversation with Zodiac but described him to be under 35 by voice. But from the physical appearance he described. To me he described an older mature man with a pot belly and maybe a younger sounding voice.

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Richard

7/30/2019 11:21:45 am

I certainly think Officer Donald Fouke's testimony is the most relevant because he had 5, 10, 15 seconds from first spotting him to passing him (in his words) being able to describe the elasticated cuffs, tan-engineering boots and hair graying in the rear. This being the case, he certainly would have managed a good estimate of his age. If you believe he stopped and spoke to Zodiac (as I do) the estimate is even more convincing. But I guess people are split on that issue Shawn. Police, as you said, are trained to be observant. The 'buttons' reference of "everyone else has these buttons like, black power, melvin eats bluber, etc. Well it would cheer me up considerably if I saw a lot of people wearing my buton", does sound like somebody on the outside looking in. Not to mention his reference to distant productions, such as The Mikado, The Most Dangerous Game, Herman Melville (Moby Dick) and possibly Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra in Golden Gate Park (hinting at his next blast). Even some have suggested a Charlie Chan and Alfred Hitchcock link.

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Richard

7/30/2019 12:52:00 pm

Also Shawn (if the Zodiac was the Riverside murderer) he would have been about 37 years of age in 1966. The tone of the Confession letter detailing the "brush offs" during the years prior, more suggestive of somebody of similar age to Cheri Jo Bates, rather than 19 years her senior. Of course, the murder on the college campus, coupled with this wording may have been designed to give the impression of a younger killer, along with the immature nature of the correspondence.

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art

7/30/2019 10:36:29 am

Excellent! This is the approach of sticking to the most highly verified facts (prioritized by degree of verification) as a bedrock. Would love to see more of that, and extended to a full compendium of characteristics from highly verified down to highly speculative. How does the Kathleen Johns description fit into this? For some reason, the classic sketch you have attached here in this article makes it difficult for me to see that head on a 5'10" stocky, barrel chested, heavyset body type (endomorph). The face seems to fit a more slender or medium body build (mesomorph). Maybe that is splitting hairs, but it just seems to me that adding the witness described body shape onto this head sketch would do a better job of jogging memories for anyone that knew Z in his everyday life etc. And with computer graphics, it could be quite helpful to see that rendered in more of a 3D format. I wonder if someone here on the forum has that skill set...

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Richard

7/30/2019 11:27:10 am

Unfortunately Art, a 3D rendered format is beyond me, but it wouldn't be too difficult to find a Google image of the body type described and blend a realistic 'Zodiac face' onto it. We just need a 5'10" stocky, barrel chested, heavyset body type to mesh the two together. Then fashion the clothing.

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Richard

7/30/2019 11:34:39 am

There was actually another witness that came forward - the 8-year-old from the Alex Lewis redacted FBI file naming Xenophon Anthony. The 8-year-old may possibly have been mistaken, but Xenophon Anthony was 38 years of age in 1969, and thereby again identifying a more mature individual of around 40. Four sets of eyewitnesses of about 40.

The 3 LB sunbathing gals gave Ken Narlows crew a combo sketch of the handsome guy who wouldnt make eye contact.
Was Zodiac pondering if he could tie up and slash 3 women and then get down the very narrow, serpentine road BEFORE any Napa sheriffs evening shift started on their Angwin/Lake Berryessa Route ??
Z decided on a remote spot to wear the Halloween mask and test out the "control with fear" method. But the costume thing was a brand new act for Zodiac, unless done in 1963 with Robert and Linda... in another very secluded spot. But maybe Zodiac didnt need to wear a mask that day.
He just quickly shot them both, like Betty, David, Darlene and Mike.

Richard

7/31/2019 01:19:16 am

I do believe this was Zodiac viewing the women, but I cannot understand why there is no mention of comparing his bootprints to the crime scene bootprints, then we would maybe have unequivocal proof of a link and thereby rendering the sketch extremely valid. The fact that we and law enforcement have been pondering the link for the past 50 years suggests this comparison was never done. I have a feeling the location and time played a big part in him refraining from using a gun, along with extremely limited exit routes - only the Knoxville Road. But I suspect that the knife was his predetermined choice to ensure front page coverage, hence the emphasis of "by knife" on the car door. The girls were likely his failed attempt that day, probably due to the difficulty in controlling three people or maybe he noticed other people in the vicinity. Either way, if you believe this was Zodiac, he ultimately aborted the attempt.

Shawn

7/30/2019 09:31:36 pm

I think age could have played a reason why Zodiac might have stopped killing after Stine. (or at least publicizing) The average age of death for males in 1969 was 67.

Many people back then smoked and did not eat very healthy with the advent of processed foods.

After almost getting caught after killing Stine he might have simply said to himself....I'm getting too old for this.

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Richard

7/31/2019 05:21:02 am

Dennis Rader and Gary Ridgeway were two killers who both had extended breaks from their murderous campaign of terror and both made their last killing in their 40s. Dennis Rader was 45 and Gary Ridgeway was 49. The Zodiac Killer was nearer to the exploits of Rader, with the communications and phone calls - and he ceased from 1991 to his arrest in 2005. In 2004 he sent and left many packages and letters. It was a floppy disc that undid him. So, it wouldn't be that difficult to swallow that Zodiac was still communicating in the late 70s, up to 1987. He was probably wiser than Rader and with decreasing health, had a swansong of letters until late 71 and then moved on - likely changing state.

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Richard

7/31/2019 01:04:59 pm

I know there are varied age descriptions given by the 3 girls at Berryessa, but on page 8 of the police report they described the subject as approximately 40 years old.
http://www.zodiackiller.com/LBReport8.html

Shawn

8/1/2019 06:46:45 am

Seems like Zodiac might have been inspired by comics when he was younger. Ex. (Tim Holt 1952)

I was thinking of comics that might have caught his eye at a young age. (if he was around the age of 40 in 69)

There was a USA rah rah WW2 Newspaper comic strip in the 1940's called "Racing Riley and the Commandos". The Strip featured a French Villain Astrologer in German occupied France named Seira Caidoz. He was said to read the stars for Hitler.

Seira Caidoz spelled (Backwords Aug. 4th Letter) spells "Aries Zodiac". A clever play on words on a sign of the Zodiac

Hitler was an Aries born April 20, 1889. 81 Years later Zodiac would mail the "My Name" letter on April 20.

https://ibb.co/gVN3Ks7

Just a thought to add to the database of potential clues.

Shawn

8/1/2019 10:46:53 am

2 corrections from above

Race Riley and the Commandos

Hitler was born a Taurus.....April 20 is first Day of Taurus after Aries
Ends April 19

My Name letter mailed April 29, first day of Taurus. Code has what appears to be the sign of Taurus 3x according to some.....Also what appears as upside down Aries sign

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Shawn

8/7/2019 08:52:30 am

I also found out that White Supremist and Neo Nazis use "88" to represent HH or "Heil Hitler". H being the 8th letter in the alphabet. I do not know if 88 was used in 1969. But it is kinda interesting that Hilter was born on 4/20, the date, the 888 laden "My Name" Zodiac cipher was postmarked.

In white nationalism and supremacism

Nazi graffiti with the number 88
Neo-Nazis use the number 88 as an abbreviation for the Nazi salute Heil Hitler.[8] The letter H is eighth in the alphabet, whereby 88 becomes HH.

Often, this number is associated with the number 14, e.g. 14/88, 14-88, or 1488; this number symbolizes the Fourteen Words coined by David Lane, a prominent white supremacist.[10] Example uses of 88 include the song "88 Rock 'n' Roll Band" by Landser, and the organizations Column 88 and Unit 88. Currently, the Michigan-based American Nazi Party uses 14 in its domain name and 88 as part of a radio sign-off.[citation needed]

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